Bismarck du Plessis has injured his knee and will not start against the Cheetahs this Saturday.

Beeld reports that Du Plessis has damaged knee ligaments and underwent an arthroscopy on Tuesday. Craig Burden is expected to start against the Cheetahs in the final league match, but because of its importance, Du Plessis may be included on the bench.

The Sharks will know what they need to do to qualify for the play-offs by the time their match against the Cheetahs kicks off at 17:05. It could be that the results of earlier matches leave the Sharks needing a bonus-point win to qualify, and in that event Du Plessis may be forced to play.

The good news for the Sharks is that Willem Alberts, Pat Lambie, Steven Sykes and Jacques Botes are all available for selection.

But their problems in the second row continue as SA U20 star Pieter-Steph du Doit is doubtful. Centre Paul Jordaan is another who will miss the match due to injury.